Just because Tony Romo is coming off another solid season and shrugged off so many of the previous expectations/assumptions about his toughness and ability to play in the clutch, that doesn’t mean we can’t continue to find his fellow colleagues to rip him whenever they get the chance.

I mean, the guy played with a punctured lung (and won!)and then, at the end of the season, he played with a bad hand, but hell, that apparently didn’t really satisfy anybody.

In fact, Romo started every game this season despite a number of ailments and obstacles. Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw was not so impressed.

Bradshaw, coming off his game-winning Super Bowl XLVI touchdown, was asked on the NFL Network if the Cowboys could ever win a Super Bowl with Romo as the starting quarterback. Bradshaw, predictably, doesn’t believe in Romo.

“It all comes in together. If the fans don’t believe it, the team doesn’t. They’re kinda doubtful with Romo.”

While I'm not sure Bradshaw's reasoning makes sense (since when do players care what fans think about their teammates?), this also isn’t the first time this year a Giants running back has criticized Romo. You might recall Brandon Jacobs saying this in October: “[Eli Manning] is definitely a 100 percent better quarterback than Tony Romo. No question.”

Also criticizing Romo this year? Redskins tight end Chris Cooley and NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders (though Romo also had a pretty big backer (literally and figuratively) in Dirk Nowitzki).

Surprisingly, not everybody, especially those in the Cowboys organization, agrees with Bradshaw (and Jacobs).

“I thought Romo was competing at a level that would’ve given us that opportunity but the rest of us need to play better and get better before we can really gel the way the Giants are,” Jones said at the Senior Bowl last month.

"One week he's a hero, the next week he's not,” Murray said. That's just the way it is with the Dallas Cowboys. We're used to it, we love it and we wouldn't want any one else leading our team."

Obviously, Romo is used to hearing people bash him for a variety of reasons. He tries to turn the other cheek. But he also understands why his vast array of critics say what they do.

"It's just an easy thing to say until you win the Super Bowl," Romo said in November. "Until then any time you lose a game it's a big game. But if you win, then it really wasn't that big of a game. That just goes with the territory."

But from a guy who just won the Super Bowl, Bradshaw’s words can’t feel so good to Romo.

INDIANAPOLIS -- DeMarco Murray burst onto the scene as a potential franchise running back for the Dallas Cowboys when he shattered long-standing records with a 253-yard rushing performance against the Rams in the 2011 season. With Felix Jones injured, Murray stepped in and paced the Cowboys rushing attack until he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 13.

But Murray, who was working with Verizon to promote the first-ever mobile airing of the Super Bowl, told us on Radio Row that the Cowboys can accomplish the goals they missed with a full season in 2012.

"Definitely the playoffs and getting [to the Super Bowl] next year," Murray said. "We had a lot of young guys and missed OTAs and minicamps. I thought a lot of guys played well. If we get a full season under our belt we look forward to winning some games."

Dallas collapse down the stretch was a full-blown disaster, with Jason Garrett notably icing his own kicker against the Cardinals before losing in overtime. But Murray said that the scapegoating of Garrett is blown out proportion by "us guys."

"Man, you guys are going to write us off no matter what," Murray said. "One week he's the greatest coach on the planet, the next week he's the worst coach on the planet. So we don't listen to that stuff you know? He's a great coach and I'm glad he's my coach."

Murray had similar feelings for quarterback Tony Romo, who's been judged once or twice in his career.

"Same thing, man!" Murray said. "One week he's a hero, the next week he's not. That's just the way it is with the Dallas Cowboys. We're used to it, we love it and we wouldn't want any one else leading our team."

Murray's correct on that count. Romo gets unfairly ripped/loved on a week-to-week basis depending on the outcome of the game.

It's presumed that Murray will be the guy taking most of the carries from Romo in 2012. However, Murray said he didn't know if he was the starter yet, and that he and Felix Jones had a "great" relationship. Additionally, Murray championed his fellow rookies, calling the 2011 NFL Draft class the greatest class of all time.

"I think it is," Murray said. "Look at all the guys in our class who made the Pro Bowl and did it without OTAs and minicamps."

If Murray can have the same impact he had in 2011 next year, it'll go even further to proving that point.

Much has been made about the possibility that Jerry Jones could bail on first-year Cowboys coach Jason Garrett if Dallas misses the playoffs, primarily because of the notable and numerous fourth-quarter collapses the Cowboys suffered this year.

And since Jones is looking into his crystal ball, he's also ready to tell Cowboys fans this: not only will Tony Romo play Sunday, but he'll be 100 percent when he takes the field.

"He's going to be playing at full strength," Jones said on KRLD-FM Friday morning (via ESPN Dallas). "It's just a very big-time feel-good to know that we're going to be going in with this kind of quarterbacking. He's had an outstanding year. He's a top, top quarterback and he's got a good team around him. In my belief, a very good team around him, so the stage is set for us to play well in a big game."

Though Romo, who's listed as probable on this week's injury report, wore a wrap on his injured hand during practice Friday, ESPN Dallas reports that he likel won't wear any protection on his throwing hand Sunday, because the swelling has decreased.

"Romo is where we had dreamed that he would be and hoped he would be relative to after his injury last week," Jones said. "So I feel good there. It should be even better by Sunday night and he's getting good work in."

He feels the same way about his head coach. As in, Garrett is getting in good work and that he's not going anywhere.

"That's just ridiculous. We're just getting started with Jason," Jerry Jones said on 105.3 FM, per Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. "It's just not the case at all. Nobody is worried about the coach's job here. We'll answer this thing as many ways as you want to answer it with as many circumstances, his job has no bearing and is not a part of this ballgame.

"Yes, he's going to be our coach next year period no matter what the score is."

(For my money, if you own an NFL team and preside as GM and the guy you're paying a lot of money to play quarterback gets hurt and the outcome of the game is rendered irrelevant, you can communicate with your coach in any manner you want. Call, write, send a carrier pigeon, record a message on the Cowboys Stadium Jumbotron. Whatever. It's your cash.)

Some folks believe Jones would consider taking a different route if Jeff Fisher is readily available and willing to come to Dallas, but does that really accomplish what Jerry wants (read: stability and success) in 2012? Because it might not.

Garrett's made some serious gaffes this year, as I've noted, but he's also coached great games at times, and he's arguably just a few fourth-quarter miscues from having the Cowboys well over 10 wins.

If Jones believes he's the long-term answer as a head coach -- and he clearly does -- then he can't bail on Garrett after just one year. Which is precisely why he won't.

An NFC East championship game in primetime – no further introduction needed. Here’s the breakdown.

1. Reviewing Week 14These teams gave us a classic Sunday night showdown just a few weeks ago. That contest was defined by mistakes more than anything. Tony Romo posted good numbers but missed a few throws that would have changed the outcome. His only completion to Dez Bryant was a 50-yard touchdown against a blown coverage.

The Cowboys defense blew several coverages of its own, leading to a 400-yard night for Eli Manning and prompting Rob Ryan later to scale back the complexity of his scheme in 2:00 type situations. Big-time throws against poor pass defense was why a game that was 34-22 Cowboys with under 6:00 to play wound up being 37-34 Giants.

2. The star quarterbacks in big gamesThe common perception is that Eli Manning is a big game riser and Tony Romo is a big game faller. The Week 14 battle only reaffirmed this; Manning was absolutely magnificent on the final two touchdown drives, fitting balls into tight windows and, as he’d been doing all night, quickly diagnosing and dissecting the Cowboys’ Byzantine blitzes. Romo, on the other hand, missed a third-and-five throw to Miles Austin with 2:25 remaining that would have sealed the win.

That throw came against an all-out, Cover 0 blitz. In the past, Romo’s inability to recognize blitzes before and after the snap often led to his blunders. Those issues, however, have been largely corrected this season. And yet, because of what happened against the Jets in Week 1, and because of the interception-riddled second half meltdown against the Lions in Week 4, Romo’s reputation remains that of a choker.

That’s mostly an unfair and overly simplistic characterization of a quality veteran. If not for the botched field goal hold at Seattle in the ’06 wild card loss – a play that had nothing to do with quarterbacking skills – Romo almost certainly wouldn’t be thought of as a late-game anything.

That said, Romo has indeed made some mistakes in critical moments. Most of those have been due to defenses confounding him with false looks. The broadcast viewers might tie this to Romo feeling stressed in crunch time; the film viewers tie it back to Romo’s mediocrity at reading defenses before the snap. When you’re a sandlot player, you’re reactionary. A reactionary player is much easier to trick – especially late in games after he’s gotten comfortable reacting to certain looks the same way.

This same concept applies in the other direction with Manning. He’s a splendid field general, audibling at the line of scrimmage, running the no-huddle offense and trusting his eyes and underrated arm strength in the face of pressure. While reactive quarterbacking is prone to defensive manipulation late in games, proactive quarterbacking is apt for defensive manipulation. You change your defensive looks and play aggressively to bait a reactionary quarterback into a mistake. Against a proactive quarterback, you change your looks and play aggressively so that he doesn’t bait you into a mistake.

The relevance of this sexy “big moment quarterbacking” storyline is debatable. As stated before, Romo has improved his mental approach to the game. And just because Manning has been great in crunch time doesn’t mean he’s unstoppable (especially given how up-and-down his receivers have been).

Dez needs to work on his disappearing act. (Getty Images)

3. Pass gamesIt’s been far too easy for defenses to take away Dez Bryant this season. The Giants had no trouble doing this with Corey Webster a few weeks ago. They also took away Jason Witten by smacking him with a defensive end or linebacker as he came off the line. Don’t be surprised if the Cowboys split Witten to the slot to prevent this from happening again.

Also, don’t be surprised if the Cowboys line up in three receiver sets to force the Giants into their nickel D. That nickel D has been poor in coverage the past few weeks, mainly because of Prince Amukamara. The first-round rookie has since been benched, with safety Antrel Rolle moving back to slot corner. The Cowboys should eagerly test Rolle with either Miles Austin or Laurent Robinson, both excellent route runners.

4. Run gamesThe Cowboys lost DeMarco Murray for the season in their last meeting with the Giants. Felix Jones showed his uncanny burst and acceleration in the lone game of consequence since then (Week 15 at Tampa Bay), but that was against the worst run defense in football.

It remains to be seen whether the Cowboys can sustain on the ground against a quality opponent. Expect them to try to establish the run, especially if the Giants play their three-safety nickel defense against base offensive personnel (something they did a bit against the Jets). Jones’ might also run out of three-receiver sets against that nickel D, as that’s a good way to take advantage of his proficiency on draws.

New York’s run game remains unimpressive, though there were a few signs of life last week. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw both ran with power after averaging barely one yard per carry after contact against the Redskins in Week 15. David Baas is back at center after missing several weeks with migraines. Baas has been below average overall this season but at least offers a tad more short-area mobility than backup Kevin Boothe.

5. Up tempo?The Meadowlands crowd will be in full throat – especially early. The Cowboys may want to go no-huddle to quell the crowd and dictate the flow.

A quick tempo can also be a good way to calm a pass-rush, which is critical when facing Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul and, perhaps, Osi Umenyiora. And the less time the Giants defense has between snaps, the harder it will be for them to change their coverages, which coordinator Perry Fewell likes to do.

As such, there are plenty of Cowboys fans concerned about Romo's status for Week 17's division-deciding matchup against the Giants. But reports indicate that Romo will be "fine" and that the Cowboys won't pursue any free agent quarterbacks.

That's according to Ed Werder of ESPN, who reports that Dallas isn't seeking to ink a veteran quarterback, which means they likely believe Romo's capable of starting -- and beating -- the Giants on Sunday.

"I would've tried very hard," Romo said. "No question. I did a little bit but the coaching staff decided against that."

Good for the coaching staff -- letting Romo play in a meaningless game with a busted hand would've been irresponsible. It stinks for people who bet on the Cowboys, it stinks for fantasy owners, it stinks for Romo's competitive nature and it stinks for him trying to post the best numbers of his career.

But it was a smart decision by Jason Garrett to keep Romo on the sidelines, and if it pays off with his quarterback being healthy and beating the Giants to win the NFC East, it'll look ever smarter.

They're currently in sole possession of the fourth seed, a half game ahead of the Giants, and Jerry Jones believes that if the 'Boys didn't make the playoffs, it would basically be a waste of the best season of Romo's career.

"At the end of the day, [Romo's play] is why we can't not get in the tournament, because he is playing so well," Jones said, per Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "This time last year, he wasn't playing. With him playing at the level he is playing, it would be a real serious career disappointment for us not to get to the playoffs."

A real serious career disappointment? No pressure or anything, Jason Garrett.

Jones probably didn't mean the comment as a shot towards in particular; his point that Romo's season -- 3,895 yards, 29 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 65.6 completion percentage -- not generating a playoff berth is valid.

Romo's playing the best football of his career right now and were it not for a ridiculous amount of ridiculous seasons from quarterbacks in 2011, he'd probably be getting more love than he is.

It doesn't help that the Cowboys lost five games this year where they coulda/shoulda/woulda walked off the field victorious, and that's an easier (and potentially more important) storyline to focus on for people hawking the Cowboys.

And Jones latest comment makes it pretty obvious where the narrative will shift should Dallas fail to make the postseason.

The 2012 rendition of the Cowboys can't stop collapsing -- Sunday night's loss to the Giants was just the latest in a year filled with second-half and fourth-quarter meltdowns. Despite that, Jerry Jones said Jason Garrett's job isn't in jeopardy.

It's too early to speculate about Garrett's job under current circumstances -- the Cowboys are just a half-game out of first place in the NFC East and a game out of the Wild Card race, with three more games remaining.

But if things get worse and the Cowboys miss the playoffs, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Jones could consider a change, particularly if someone like Jeff Fisher is available and interested in the position.

But it's not too early to wonder what might happen if Dallas continues to lose games in the same fashion they've lost them this year. Fourth-quarter gifts to the Jets, LionsPatriots, Cardinals and Giants all stand out like a handful of sore thumbs and anything less than 2-1 the rest of the way in probably dooms Dallas in 2012.

If that's the case, Jones will be asked about Garrett's job status much more frequently, and if the manner in which the Cowboys fade is particularly disastrous, it's not inconceivable that his answer could change.

UPDATE II, 10:30 p.m. ET: Murray has a fractured ankle, according to multiple reports (including CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco), and is likely done for the 2011 season.UPDATE, 9:24 p.m. ET: Murray is getting X-rays on his right ankle and his return is questionable.

The Cowboys headed into Sunday night's game with two active running backs: DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones. Late in the first quarter, Dallas was down to one after Murray had to be helped from the field after a lower leg injury.

With 5:11 left in the quarter, Murray took a pass from Tony Romo and was tackled by Giants linebacker Dave Tollefson. Replays appeared to show Murray twisting his ankle under Tollefson's body as they went to the turf. He laid on the field for several minutes before two Cowboys assistants helped him to the sidelines.

There is no official word on Murray's status, although we suspect he could be done for the evening. For now, Jones is Dallas' only active running back, to go along with two fullbacks. Jones' got his first carry after Murray made his way to the bench and it was good for 26 yards, down to the Giants 12. A play later, Romo found John Phillips for a 12-yard score. At the start of the second quarter, the Cowboys lead, 7-5.